Kitchen lighting shouldn't be taken for granted. When properly planned, lighting will illuminate all of your work areas well, and it will help to enhance your kitchen design by creating mood and focus.

There are many options available for lighting a room. But arranging lights shouldn't be a haphazard effort. Designers often follow a formula to ensure that sufficient light is supplied in general areas, and for tasks. One thing you can be sure of: that single, central fixture on a kitchen ceiling won't cut it.

Make sure all the work you've done in carefully selecting surfaces, cabinets and other features isn't lost to a poor lighting plan. The right light in the right places will be the finishing touch on your new kitchen.

Types of lighting

Different kinds of light serve different purposes. A well-lighted room will contain elements of ambient, task and accent lighting. All three work together to ensure your new kitchen is illuminating.

• Ambient lighting is general room lighting-typically overhead and arranged to light the room evenly. Ceiling surface mount fixtures, recessed can lights, and a host of other fixtures can serve the purpose. Ambient light may be incandescent or fluorescent. (Increasingly, energy codes require fluorescent fixtures for ambient light in kitchens and baths.) Natural light may also contribute (via windows and skylights) during daytime hours.
• Task lighting illuminates a specific work area. The light is usually intense and aimed at the work area. Care must be taken when placing task lights to ensure that you won't block the light with your body or with cabinetry and other furnishings. Track lighting and well-positioned recessed "cans" are good sources of task light.
• Accent lighting creates focus and is primarily decorative. Unobtrusive track lights, smaller recessed cans with directional trim, tiny halogen lights and other fixtures can be used to highlight textured walls, art and architectural features. Attractive wall sconces and pendants, when lit, are decorations unto

Light sources

The light source you choose can be just as important as the fixture in which you put it. Always compare the light output, measured in lumens, not the energy input, which is measured in watts. Three kinds of lamps are most common:

• Incandescent bulbs are the standard in most home fixtures. Though our eyes have grown accustomed to the warm light quality they produce, these lamps are inefficient. About 90% of the energy used is turned into heat, not light. Though inexpensive to buy, they don't last as long as halogen or fluorescent lamps.
• Halogen lamps produce a bright, white light that renders colors most naturally. Halogen lighting is what makes colors look so vibrant at clothing stores. About 20% more efficient than incandescent, these bulbs also last longer, which helps justify the higher price.
• Fluorescent lamps are by far the most efficient, but suffer from a bad reputation for flickering and unflattering light quality, as well as limited fixture choices. Today's electronic ballasts help minimize the flicker and a wider range of fixtures accept compact fluorescent capsules. When "warm white" tubes are covered by glass, paper or plastic diffusers, the light quality gets much closer to incandescent. One drawback: you can't dim fluorescent lights without expensive controls.

Lighting controls

You've got more options today than the simple on/off switch. Lighting controls let you fine tune the scene, adding as much or as little light as you're in the mood for.

• Dimmer switches are low-cost luxuries that also save energy and extend bulb life. By changing the light level, you change the mood and emphasis within the room. Always include a dimmer switch to control light over a dining table.
• Three-way switches are actually a pair of on/off controls that allow you to operate the lighting from either end of a staircase, a long room or hallway. They'll save you crossing the room in the dark, or moving up or down a pitch- black staircase while groping for the light switch.
• Electronic controls provide an element of home automation. One switch can preset the light level for others on the same multi-switched circuit. Timers, light sensors, motion detectors and computer-controlled switches can be combined to simplify--or complicate--your life, depending on your point of

Lighting fixtures

Lighting fixtures are an important consideration because they will affect the look and feel of your room. Your lighting sources may make a design statement, or they may be inconspicuous. When you consider the many options, keep in mind that the best lighting plan may contain more than one type of fixture.

• Recessed can lighting
  If you just want the light and don't want to emphasize the fixtures, recessed can lights are inexpensive and rarely draw notice. Standard models accept either incandescent or halogen spots and floods. To make good use of capsule fluorescents, you'll need cans designed specifically for them with deeper reflectors and built-in transformers. IC (Insulation contact) fixtures permit you to surround the cans with ceiling insulation.

  Fixed downlights are great for task lighting over counters and built-ins. Place them about 2 feet apart for maximum coverage, though the distance depends on the room's ceiling height and the bulb's beam spread. Consult a designer or a good lighting store to be sure. Interchangeable trim kits provide a range of options from a wide flood to a wall-washing baffle.

  Adjustable downlights, often called "eyeballs," swivel to highlight selected areas. These leave you more flexibility to adjust the lighting after the room is finished.

  Pricing for these lighting options can range considerably. At the lower cost end, you can get incandescent fixtures with simple black trim kits. Moving into the mid-range, you can expect to afford IC cans, wall washers and mini halogen cans. If you go high budget, you'll be in the market for adjustable spots and eyeballs, and/or dedicated fluorescent fixtures.

   

• Ceiling surface-mount lighting
  Overhead fixtures are typically used for ambient room light. There are thousands of styles to choose from. So if you aren't working with a designer or remodeler who can suggest a fixture to complement your room, you may need to spend some time shopping at lighting showrooms. One point to consider when looking is that suspended bowls, which hang only a foot or so below the ceiling, bounce light down off the ceiling more evenly than a ceiling-mounted globe or box.
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  Don't be intimidated by making the fixture selection - surface-mount fixtures are easy to change. If you are too rushed to shop around, or if you need to go low-budget for now, you can start with something simple and upgrade later when you have time to shop.

  From a pricing standpoint, you'll find fixtures with painted chrome- or brass-plated bases and frosted covers at the low end. In the medium budget range are halogen fixtures and swanky styling. Go top-of-the-line and expect brass patinas, ornate glass and alabaster bowls.

  Be sure to check codes regarding lighting. During a kitchen or bath remodel, you may be required to install fluorescent overhead lighting.

• Wall sconces
  These decorative fixtures are available in a huge range of styles and materials. Mounted at or just above eye-level, they are perhaps the most visible fixtures. Light may be directed up to rake the walls, and spill onto to the ceiling, or both down and up. Many decorative sconces have cutouts that spill narrow streams of light. On others, the whole shell is translucent, glowing when lit.
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  If you're shopping in the low-budget range, you should be able to find sconces with simple metal, ceramic or glass shapes. Mid-range pricing will offer fluorescent fixtures and good period reproductions. And at the high end you can expect luxuries like alabaster shells, and art glass in handmade copper and brass frames.

   

• Pendant lighting
  The best places to use hanging fixtures are over tables and counters. They can provide a more local and intimate source of light. For safety, keep the fixture at least three feet above a dining table or work surface and at least a foot in from the edges. To prevent glare, use opaque globes or transparent shades over dining tables and other gathering areas.

  You'll find styles in a wide range of prices. The least expensive grouping may include fixtures with hanging globes and/or painted metal shades. In the medium-priced range, expect stylish halogen bowls, designer knock-offs and multi-lamp fixtures. If you go up-scale you'll find ornate glass and this year's designs.

   

• Under-cabinet Lighting
  Upper cabinets inevitably create a shadow zone on the countertop below. The most practical solution is to mount either thin fluorescent fixtures or halogen "hockey-puck" mini-disks underneath the cabinets. The lights should be close to the front of the cabinet bottoms for best coverage. Fewer, longer fixtures are more economical to buy and install, but no matter what, plan to cover at least 2/3 of cabinet length with strip lights.

  In the pricing ballpark, you'll find fluorescent strips to be least expensive. Incandescent strips move you to mid-range. And low-voltage halogen mini-disks enter into the upper price range.

   

• Track lighting
  For maximum flexibility, track lighting can't be beat. After you mount the metal track and lights, you can readjust them to suit changes in the room. And you can even change the number and kind of fixtures in use. Track can be ideal for task and accent lighting.

  You'll have a wide choice of fixtures and light sources. For the smallest investment you'll be able to find larger, painted incandescent cans. If your spending is mid-range, there are smaller cans and a wider choice of finishes and shapes. At the upper end you can expect to find low-voltage halogen lights with two circuits per track.